DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker on John Himes Livergood has to say, and friends, it's worth every word. John Himes Livergood came into this world on September 10, 1815, in Pennsylvania — and he left it on October 3, 1893, in a place about as far from Pennsylvania as you can get in spirit. In 1837, he came to Texas, and Texas, being Texas, wasted no time putting him to work.
He received 640 acres of land on Peach Creek near Gonzales, and from that day forward, the frontier had a new hand on deck. From 1837 right up until Texas was annexed to the United States — nearly ten years of Republic-era fire and fury — John Himes Livergood was in the middle of it. Not on the sidelines.
In the middle of it. In 1840, when an Indian party attacked his neighbors, Livergood joined Captain Adam Zumwalt to give chase. That chase ended decisively — at the Battle of Plum Creek.
After that, he rode with the Spy Company of the Texas Rangers under John Coffee Hays — Jack Hays, if you like — running scouting expeditions across a land that had very few friends and a great many dangers. Then came 1842, and Livergood was at the Battle of Salado Creek and on the Somervell Expedition. Now, a reasonable man might consider those two engagements enough adventure for one calendar year.
John Himes Livergood was not finished. He joined the Mier Expedition — described right there on the marker as doomed, and the marker is not wrong. The Mier Expedition was an attempt to invade Mexico, and it went sideways in the worst possible way.
What came next was the Black Bean Episode. If you don't know the Black Bean Episode, it is the kind of story that quiets a campfire. Livergood drew — and survived.
He was eventually held at Perote prison, and he was finally released in 1844. The man came home from Mexico, dusted himself off, and kept living. In 1847, while visiting family in Missouri, John H.
Livergood met a woman named Sarah Ann Elizabeth Perkins, born in 1828. They married that same year, 1847, and came back to Texas to build a life on the Lavaca River — a life that, by any measure, had already seen more history than most. They raised thirteen children.
They helped found Mossy Grove Methodist Church and were active leaders there. Livergood farmed, ranched, and stepped into public life — serving as chief justice, that is county judge, of Lavaca County from 1850 to 1852, and later as justice of the peace. When the Civil War came, he answered again, serving in the Lone Star Guard, the Texas State Troops, and the Confederate army.
When it was all over, John Himes Livergood — Pennsylvania-born, Texas-forged — rested. Both he and Sarah Ann Livergood, who was born in 1828 and died in 1909, are buried together at Mossy Grove Cemetery. The man who survived the Black Bean Episode, Perote prison, and a decade of Republic-era frontier life ended up right where he planted himself — on the Lavaca River, among his people, under Texas soil.
What the marker says
(September 10, 1815 - October 3, 1893) A native of Pennsylvania, John Himes Livergood came to Texas in 1837 and received 640 acres of land on Peach Creek near Gonzales. From that time until Texas' annexation to the United States nearly ten years later, Livergood played an integral role in the defense of frontier settlements and in several major events during the Republic period. In 1840, Livergood joined Capt. Adam Zumwalt to pursue an Indian party that had attacked his neighbors. The chase ended with a decisive victory at the Battle of Plum Creek. Later he served in several scouting expeditions, including the Spy Company of the Texas Rangers under John (Jack) Coffee Hays. He took part in the Battle of Salado Creek and the Somervell Expedition in 1842. As a member of the doomed Mier Expedition to invade Mexico, he was a survivor of the Black Bean Episode and was finally released from Perote prison in 1844. While visiting family in Missouri in 1847, John H. Livergood met Sarah Ann Elizabeth Perkins (1828-1909). They married in 1847 and established a home (eventually with 13 children) on the Lavaca River. The Livergoods helped found Mossy Grove Methodist Church and were active leaders there. A farmer and rancher, Livergood also entered the political life of Lavaca County, serving as chief justice (county judge) from 1850 to 1852 and later as justice of the peace. In his final military service, Livergood served in the Lone Star Guard, the Texas State Troops and the Confederate army during the Civil War. Both he and Sarah Ann Livergood are buried at Mossy Grove Cemetery. (2001)